No one knows whether Liu Qinshi did it on purpose, but her death did make countless people sigh and feel regretful.
Public opinion once again began to overwhelmingly support the couple.
Those stories that were once submerged are gradually coming out.
This is a despicable scandal, but it has the potential to become a good story.
All I can say is, it really leaves me speechless.
But this was not what Liu Qing wanted. He had thought it through clearly. If he could rescue his wife, he would leave Bian Jing with her and start over in a place where no one knew them.
No longer pursuing glory for the family, nor fame, fortune or status.
All he cared about was being reunited with his wife.
But we didn't even see each other for the last time.
Xiangfu County, Feng Village.
...
...
I saw a group of villagers carrying hoes and walking down the mountain in silence, with sadness on their faces.
At this time, the master and his two servants came down the mountain. The two sides passed each other sideways. The villagers looked at the master and his two servants with a hint of contempt.
The servant looked back at the villagers and said to the young man beside him, "Third brother, they don't seem to be very friendly to us?"
"I guess a lot of people have come to apologize to Liu Qing in the past few days."
“Isn’t this a good thing?”
"This is a good thing, but in the eyes of others, it is somewhat hypocritical."
"Oh, I see."
The three masters and servants were Zhang San, Li Si and Long Wu.
When we reached the halfway point of the mountain, we saw a man standing under a willow tree, staring blankly at the grave at his feet.
It was Liu Qing.
Zhang Fei walked over and said, "I'm so sorry, I've tried my best."
Liu Qing shook her head and said, "I can't blame Prosecutor Zhang or anyone else for this. This is all my own fault. I have brought this upon myself, but I can't even say sorry to her."
Having said this, Liu Qing couldn't help but burst into tears again.
Zhang Fei said: "But you can still make amends for this."
Liu Qing suddenly turned his head to look at Zhang Fei, "How can I make amends? Does Prosecutor Zhang have a magic pill that can save my wife?"
Zhang Fei shook his head and said, "I don't have a magic pill, but I know that there must be many people like you in this world, poor people like your wife. If you are willing, I can introduce you to the Legal Aid Department in Hezhong Prefecture, where you may be able to help many people who have been wronged."
Liu Qing was stunned for a moment, seemingly not expecting Zhang Fei to introduce him to the Legal Aid Department. But without much thought, he shook his head and said, "Thank you, Prosecutor Zhang, but I just want to stay here with my wife now."
Zhang Fei nodded and said, "If one day you figure it out, you can come to me anytime."
Liu Qing nodded slightly.
Zhang Fei turned around and looked at Li Si, who immediately handed him a few sticks of incense, bowed a few times in front of Liu Qin's grave, and then put the incense in. Then he said to Liu Qing, "If there is nothing else, I will take my leave first."
Liu Qing bowed and said, "Prosecutor Zhang has shown great kindness to my wife and I have no way to repay him. I hope I can serve him like a slave in my next life."
Zhang Fei said lightly: "This is just my duty. Goodbye."
Liu Qing nodded woodenly, and suddenly seemed to remember something, "Prosecutor Zhang, please stay."
"Anything else?"
"I heard that you once met my wife." Liu Qing suddenly said.
Zhang Fei nodded.
Liu Qing asked anxiously: "Then does she have anything to say to me?"
Zhang Fei shook his head, "No."
After hearing this, tears welled up in Liu Qing's eyes again.
"Goodbye!"
Zhang Fei nodded slightly, then walked down the mountain. Halfway down the mountain, he suddenly heard a miserable cry coming from above.
They didn't meet for the last time, nor did they leave any words, but this was Liu Qin's final love.
When he returned home, it was already evening. As soon as he arrived at the door, Niu Beiqing told Zhang Fei that Sima Guang had arrived.
"It's really difficult!" Zhang Fei couldn't help but sigh, then he entered the courtyard, only to see Xu Zun sitting in the hall chatting with Sima Guang.
Seeing Zhang Fei coming back, Xu Zun made an excuse to slip away.
As soon as Xu Zun left, two rays of fire burst out of Sima Guang's eyes.
Before he could lose his temper, Zhang Fei immediately said, "Master Sima, you can't blame me. I am innocent. I didn't even ask Judge Qi to appear in court as a witness, and I didn't mention him before. He was the one who took the initiative to speak."
Sima Guang snorted: "You are really smart, I haven't even opened my mouth yet, but you already know why I came."
Zhang Fei smiled awkwardly and said nothing.
Sima Guang suddenly became excited and asked, "Since he is not a witness, then if he speaks, is it worth it for you to pay attention to him?"
Did he eat explosives, or did he enter menopause? But it's a little late for this to happen! Zhang Fei said depressedly, "I couldn't help but answer the question that Judge Qi asked at that time, because it was about justice and etiquette, which was also the controversial point of the lawsuit, and it was also the answer that the Grand Judge wanted to get."
Sima Guang said: "You should also know how to forgive others when you can. You are going too far. Do you know that Qi Xiye has already submitted a petition to retire?"
"ah?"
Zhang Fei was surprised and said, "It's not possible. If his sentence is overturned, he will retire. This is too much!"
Sima Guang waved his hands and said, "It's not because you overturned his verdict, but your words, coupled with Liu Qin's death and the public opinion of the people in the capital, made him think that he really did something wrong and killed an innocent life. But you can't blame him. If it were me, I would have made the same verdict."
Zhang Fei spread his hands and said, "I think so too. This cannot be blamed on Judge Qi, so Sima Xueshi, you should dissuade him!"
"That also requires persuasion."
Sima Guang said: "Also, do you know that Wang Jiefu and his men took this opportunity to impeach Qi Xiye? They had long wanted to expel Qi Xiye from the court, so this was their chance."
Political struggle is extremely cruel. With such a big flaw, it is impossible for the other party not to step forward and step on it.
You must know that Qi Hui has always been a core member of the conservative faction, and he has long had grievances with Wang Anshi, Lu Huiqing and others.
Zhang Fei said with a slightly tired look: "The government is reasonable. Judge Qi did not make this judgment for his own selfish interests. He neglected some details because he wanted to give a fair judgment. This kind of thing is inevitable. It is impossible to blame Judge Qi for this."
"It's not as simple as you think."
Sima Guang sighed heavily: "They filed an impeachment petition, and more people came to defend Qi Xiye. But to defend Qi Xiye, they must deny the lawsuit. You should know that many people want to deny the lawsuit, so they also took the opportunity to join in, making the case take another turn."
“Oh my god!”
Zhang Fei slapped his forehead. He finally understood what party strife was.
Sima Guang frowned and said, "But all of this is a conspiracy by certain people. If we continue to argue about this issue, no matter whether we win or lose, the public security, procuratorate and courts will be impacted."
Is it a problem with the Beijing Procuratorate or a problem with the Xiangfu County Imperial Court?
Both sides of the hand are made of flesh and blood, and the key point is that Sima Guang could not stop others from protecting Qi Xiye, which made Sima Guang feel torn and depressed.
"this."
Zhang Fei also had a headache, "What should I do now?"
Sima Guang said: "The emperor will hold a special meeting tomorrow to discuss this matter, and you will also go then."
Zhang Fei was surprised and said, "But I didn't receive any notification from the government."
Sima Guang bulged his eyes and said, "I just came here to inform you."
"oh."
"Do you have any way to keep Qi Xiye here?"
After that, Sima Guang continued, "It's not that I want to use my power for personal gain, but I think Qi Xiye is a rare legal talent in the court. The public security, procuratorial and judicial organs are already short-staffed, and if he is missing, it will be even worse. The key is that Qi Xiye should not be blamed for this case."
Zhang Fei said awkwardly: "Let me give it a try."
The next morning, Zhang Fei arrived at the imperial city and saw that almost all the prime ministers, except Zeng Gongliang and Chen Shengzhi, had arrived.
Conservative officials such as Liu Shu looked at him with hostility.
Indeed, many people think that there is no need to go to this step.
If you don't file this lawsuit, no one will think that your procuratorate is partial to you and dereliction of duty. You should know that this case has happened for more than half a year, and the reformists have not said a word. If there is a problem, they would have impeached you long ago.
But this lawsuit not only put Qi Hui in an awkward position, but also offended many scholars and officials who originally supported the public security, procuratorial and judicial organs.
As for the reformists, they were of course looking at him with glee.
It's true that my father doesn't love me and my mother doesn't care about me.
Neither one is human.
However, Zhang Fei thought it was worth it, because the power of the procuratorate had been greatly expanded. The procuratorate would not let go of such a small matter, let alone other things.
You decide for yourself.
"Congratulations, congratulations to Prosecutor Zhang for winning his first battle. That lawsuit was truly brilliant!"
Then Lu Huiqing stepped forward and bowed to congratulate Zhang Fei.
There was no need for him and Zhang Fei to be secretive, after all, they had always maintained close contact.
"Thank you!"
Zhang Fei bowed his hands, but in his heart he was thinking, "You come up to congratulate me at this time, isn't it just to make people think that I am on your side?" He smiled awkwardly and said, "But the excitement is far less than here!"
Lu Huiqing laughed and whispered, "Did Scholar Sima ask you to rescue Qi Xiye?"
Zhang Fei nodded.
Lu Huiqing asked again: "Then can you save him?"
Zhang Fei said: "I will do my best."
Lu Huiqing wondered, "They treat you like this, why do you bother to care about them?"
Zhang Fei smiled bitterly and said, "I am not doing this for them, but for the public security, procuratorate and courts. Even if Judge Qi wants to retire, it cannot be at this time. Therefore, Proofreader Lu will have to show some mercy later!"
Lu Huiqing joked: "You have to show mercy. I don't want to be forced to request retirement."
"Proofreader Lu is too kind."
Zhang Fei cupped his hands and thought, with your thick skin, it would probably be much easier to force you to die than to force you to retire!
After the two chatted for a while, the palace door opened. Just as the ministers entered the palace for a moment, Zhao Xu arrived.
"I heard that the recent case of adultery at Liuyun Temple in Xiangfu County has caused a lot of uproar in the city. Hasn't the trial been concluded?"
Zhao Xu asked with an unhappy look.
It can be seen that this matter is also giving him a headache.
This is really not a big deal, but if it is not stopped in time, it will become a big deal later.
All the etiquette, law, justice, wrongful convictions and unjust cases have come to light.
After all, there are indeed many interests involved in this lawsuit.
Zhao Xu hurried out to hold a meeting to discuss how to solve the problem.
Deng Wan immediately stood up and said, "Your Majesty, this is all because of Xiangfu County Judge Qi's selfish thoughts and failure to follow the law, which led to this unjust case. Although the procuratorate investigated the matter carefully and cleared the name of Liu Qing and his wife, it still indirectly caused the loss of a life for no reason."
"What nonsense!"
Liu Shu immediately stood up and said, "Your Majesty, Judge Qi also made the judgment according to the law, but he did not follow the principle of arresting the husband for adultery. But in my opinion, Judge Qi just wanted to kill a chicken to scare the monkeys and put an end to this kind of immoral behavior. You should know that some families set up shops to sell alcohol, allow their wives to ask for sex, secretly be prostitutes, and openly accept money and goods. If we blindly follow the principle of arresting the husband for adultery, it will only encourage this bad trend."
Lu Huiqing said: "On this point, Prosecutor Zhang has already explained it in court. If everyone disagrees with this principle, they can ask the Legislative Council to make changes. Since there are no changes, they should abide by it. If the public security, procuratorial and judicial organs do not abide by the law, who will abide by the law?"
As a result of his instigation, many ministers immediately stood up and directly asked the Legislative Council to change this principle, because they believed that this principle conflicted with etiquette and law.
This time they really wanted to change this principle under the pretext of protecting Qi Hui.
It is to tell everyone that if we want to respect propriety and law, the judiciary must give way to it.
Fu Bi and Sima Guang saw it and were worried. Although they were unwilling, they couldn't say much. After all, Qi Hui was involved in this.
Otherwise, Sima Guang would not have asked Zhang Fei for help.
After hearing this, Zhao Xu also knew that it was dangerous and he couldn't act rashly. He waved his hands repeatedly and said, "Everyone, please be patient for a while. Is Prosecutor Zhang here?"
"I am here!"
Zhang Fei, who was hiding behind, stood up immediately.
Zhao Xu asked, "Prosecutor Zhang, this case is all because of you. What do you think about this?"
Zhang Fei said with a depressed look: "I think our procuratorate is not respected as it should be."
Zhao Xu said, "What do you mean?"
Zhang Fei said: "If Judge Qi has committed a fault or abused his power for personal gain, which is illegal, then our procuratorate will naturally prosecute him. However, after our procuratorate's investigation, Judge Qi has not committed any illegal acts. Therefore, I think that to believe that Judge Qi has committed some illegal acts in this case is to disrespect our procuratorate."
Deng Wan questioned: "This is strange. Since there was no illegal behavior, why does Prosecutor Zhang think this is a wrongful conviction?"
Zhang Fei asked back: "Censor Deng, if I can prove that Judge Qi did not break the law, then are your words illegal?"
Deng Wan opened his eyes and snorted, "I'm not the president of the court."
Zhang Fei smiled and said, "That's right, I almost forgot that you censors can report anything you hear, without any need for evidence."
All the censors present glared at you, saying, "You are mocking all of us censors."
Zhang Fei was not panicked at all. You, the Censorate, can impeach me, but my Procuratorate can also sue you directly. Who is afraid of whom?
It's best not to interfere with each other.
In Zhang Fei's view, the Procuratorate must be on an equal footing with the Censorate.
"Let's not talk about this for now."
Zhao Xu waved his hand and said, "Let's make this case clear first."
"Yes, sir."
Zhang Fei bowed and said, "Your Majesty, some cases are very complicated and there is no absolutely fair answer. Each court president may have different opinions, which may lead to deviations in the final judgment. The only specific standard is the trial system of the public security, procuratorial and judicial organs.
Our procuratorate has conducted a thorough investigation and found that Judge Qi fully complied with the trial system of the public security, procuratorial and judicial organs. However, he believed that the impact of this case was extremely bad and therefore the principle of arresting the adulterer following the husband should not be followed. This is just a dispute, but not a mistake.
Because there is no clear provision in our dynasty's laws whether the chief judge can make an exception, but based on past cases, this is allowed.
It’s just that our procuratorate does not see it that way. We believe that in this case, legal principles should be observed more strictly. Therefore, our procuratorate is accusing the verdict of being invalid, not that Miaokong and Liu Qin are innocent. It just needs to be retried, and perhaps they may be found guilty in the end.
It was precisely because of this that the public security, procuratorate and courts had an appeal system. If the people were dissatisfied, as long as they presented reasonable evidence, they could appeal from the county all the way to the capital, or even to the Dali Temple or the Court of Justice.
Zhao Xu nodded.
Zhang Fei continued, "In addition, I also believe that if Judge Qi is punished for this matter, or retires, it will have a great impact on the public security, procuratorial and judicial systems. This is a wrong decision."
Zhao Xu asked: "Why is this?"
Zhang Fei said: "If that is the case, which judge would dare to make a judgment easily? Our public security, procuratorial and judicial organs require that the case must be tried according to the system. In other words, as long as the judgment is made in accordance with the law, even if there is a dispute, even if the judgment is eventually overturned, it cannot be defined as a guilt, and it cannot even be defined as a fault.
I remember that the first case I tried in Hezhong Prefecture was the retrial of Guixiang's matricide case. Although my verdict was very different from that of Prefect Cai, it did not cause any controversy. The people of Hezhong Prefecture did not think that Prefect Cai's verdict was a wrong verdict or that he was a pervert of the law for personal gain. I really don't know why it caused such a stir in the capital."
Well said!
Zhao Xu silently praised Zhang Fei in his heart, and glanced at the ministers on both sides. Seeing their embarrassed expressions, everyone actually understood what was going on.
It has nothing to do with justice and is purely a political measure.
Zhao Xu did not discuss this topic and asked again: "Does the prosecutor think that this principle should be abolished?"
Zhang Fei said: "This is the power of the Legislative Council, and the Procuratorate dare not exceed it. However, in my opinion, it makes sense to abolish it or not. It depends on whether the court would rather kill a hundred people by mistake than let one go, or let one go instead of killing a hundred people by mistake."
Sima Guang thought this was a bit strange and said, "You are wrong. It should be better to let a hundred people go than to kill one person by mistake."
Zhang Fei smiled and said, "But regarding this principle, it is better to let one person go than to kill a hundred people. After all, what Censor Deng refers to as 'allowing wives to engage in prostitution' only applies to a very small number of people. Moreover, according to current legal principles, if a wife is forced to engage in prostitution, she can appeal directly, which is already permitted.
But if this principle is abolished, the number of people who go to the government to file complaints will probably be thousands of times more than those who indulge their wives and seek sexual favors. In addition, it is difficult to prove whether a man and a woman have committed adultery when they are in the same room. There will definitely be more unjust cases. This case has already proved this point. Liu Qinshi and Liu Qing have both suffered injustice in this process!"
Zhao Xu smiled and nodded, then asked Fu Bi, "What do you think, Mr. Fu?"
Fu Bi said: "I think it is unnecessary to abolish it. As Prosecutor Zhang said just now, the court has never explicitly stipulated whether judicial officials can make exceptions. However, this kind of situation has always happened. Some judgments are correct, but some unjust cases have indeed been created.
I believe that the view raised by Prosecutor Zhang in court can be adopted as the principle for making an exception. That is, an exception must be made with the intention of defending this precedent.
If there is such a principle, judicial officials can apply it more reasonably, avoiding wrongful convictions while safeguarding the law of propriety. "
Zhao Xu nodded, glanced around, and said loudly: "I also think that Judge Qi has no fault in this case, and the procuratorate is only enforcing the law impartially. In addition, I also agree with what Prosecutor Zhang said. If Judge Qi is allowed to retire, it will only undermine the public security, procuratorial and judicial system. Therefore, Judge Qi will continue to stay in Xiangfu County. I also hope that Judge Qi can continue to enforce the law impartially and redress the grievances of the people."
"Your Majesty is wise."
Sima Guang, Wen Yanbo and Lu Gong watched them quickly stand up and they felt relieved.
Lu Huiqing and the others could only give up in disappointment, and they just stepped on it as usual.
Now that a professional has come, there is no more argument. It’s annoying.
At this time, Wang Anshi, who had been silent all this time, suddenly stood up and said, "Your Majesty, in my opinion, the fundamental reason for this case is that scholars like Liu Qing who want to pass the imperial examinations will find it difficult to make a living without family support."
Zhao Xu was stunned for a moment, then nodded and said, "Your words make sense. I wonder if you have any good ideas?"
Wang Anshi said: "In fact, this problem exists not only among scholars, but also in the court. If many officials lose their salaries, they will find it difficult to make a living. That is why I proposed the career law. I think this law can also be used for scholars."
The reformists stepped on Qi Hui, but that was just a daily routine. He was not thinking about that. He was thinking about using the lawsuit to promote his own business.
Zhao Xu asked, "You mean, should Rushi Academy also recruit these scholars?"
Wang Anshi said: "It's not a bad idea, but the government offices are mainly for self-profit, and the court will not provide too much assistance, so the number of recruits is also extremely limited. But we can also encourage them to find a living in related shops."
Zhang Fei nodded frequently as he listened. As expected of Old Wang, he saw things very clearly.
In fact, the essence of anything will be reflected on the economic level, and Wang Anshi really devoted himself to the national finances. On some things, he saw more thoroughly than Sima Guang, but his purpose was not to analyze the essence, but to fill the national treasury, while Sima Guang was purely an analyst, and Sima Guang's predictions were often more accurate.
Wen Yanbo couldn't help but wonder, "How can we encourage those scholars to find a living in shops?"
You go and tell it.
If I don’t get scolded to death, it would be really weird.
Is this scholar inferior to a businessman?
Zhao Xu also looked at Wang Anshi in confusion.
Why is there a phenomenon of redundant officials? It is mainly because the emperor wants to win over scholars, so the number of places for imperial examinations is increasing year by year. But now he is trying to cut officials, but the number of places for imperial examinations is increasing again. Isn't this a waste of time?
But if the number of places for scholars is reduced, they will definitely be resentful.
Zhao Xu really wanted to do this in his heart, but he didn't dare say it out loud, as this would offend scholars all over the world and might even shake his foundation.
As a monarch, one must show favor to scholars.
Wang Anshi replied: "The sage said, cultivate yourself, manage your family, govern the country, and bring peace to the world. How can we expect a person who can't even support himself to govern the country? A truly smart person, whether doing business or farming, will be better than the average person, so I suggest that the candidate's previous resume should also be regarded as a score."
How to encourage scholars to make a living on their own and make this one of the criteria for the imperial examinations? Then candidates will work hard to find work and the burden on the court will be reduced.
“No!”
Sima Guang immediately jumped out and scolded Wang Anshi, "You said it very well, but resumes are too easy to falsify, which will be even more unfair to those poor scholars. Things like imperial examinations must be fair and must not be fanciful. If fairness cannot be achieved, then it is better not to do it."
You old man, you have to oppose me in everything. Wang Anshi was furious. He thought his suggestion was the best. He said, "Some people are born rich, some are born poor. This cannot be changed. According to your statement, everything is unfair to the poor."
Sima Guang said: "It is precisely because of this unfairness that we should strive to be fair, rather than making it more unfair.
Take your resume rating for example. Let alone those of us who are ministers of state, our resumes must be dazzling. However, children from poor families, even if they have outstanding abilities, may find it difficult to obtain a perfect resume. "
Wang Anshi said: "We can investigate this. If the tax bureau can find out the complicated tax information, how can we not find out the resumes of hundreds of candidates? Besides, the imperial examination is held every three years.
In addition, in the exam, many candidates' essays are similar, and the examiners can only decide based on their preferences. If the resume scoring is added, it will be more fair to select the better candidate. If the scores are far apart, there is no need to consider the resume. "
Sima Guang snorted, "Candidates come from all over the country. If you want to check, you have to go to all places to investigate. It's not under your nose. How can you supervise? This is not only unfair, but also breeds corruption. Since you can write a good resume, you can also write a bad resume. This will affect the candidates. You are just messing around."
Wang Anshi hated me so much that he gnashed his teeth. You always refute me by accusing me of poor supervision and breeding corruption. You are so shameless.
How do you know you can’t do it if you don’t try?
Sima Guang thought, why bother trying? It is obvious that the imperial examination will make things a mess.
here we go again!
Zhao Xu was in a headache. He was not familiar with these two views. He waved his hands and said, "Don't argue anymore. We still need to be cautious about the examination system. But Wang Xueshi's suggestion is also insightful. We can apply the career law to scholars. Let's do it this way for now."
This approach must be balanced, neither adding resumes to the imperial examination system nor allowing the career system to apply to scholars.
After all, applying the career law to scholars will definitely be supported by them. As for those risky suggestions, just put them aside for the time being.
Wang Anshi immediately said, "Your Majesty, at present, only Qingzhou has promulgated the business law."
Zhao Xu said: "Then we should temporarily set up some government offices in the capital."
Wang Anshi said, "I obey your command."
"This concludes today's meeting."
After saying that, Zhao Xu ran away, leaving him with a headache because of the noise.
Wang Anshi and Sima Guang glared at each other, then turned their heads at the same time. Suddenly, they opened their eyes and saw Zhang Fei had already walked down the stairs and was running out of the hall at full speed.
"This brat!"
The two cursed at the same time, then glared at each other and rushed out again.
Jun thought, since you are competing with me for everything anyway, why do you care about this threshold?
Zhang Fei ran out of the palace, muttering to himself: "It's better to avoid such life-and-death situations in the future!"
Just as he breathed a sigh of relief, Long Wu drove the carriage to Zhang Fei.
Zhang Fei got on the carriage and saw Li Bao sitting inside. He couldn't help but complain: "This hanging man needs to be given a break!"
Li Bao said awkwardly, "I don't want to bother Sanlang either, but the tax commissioners in Qizhou and Qingzhou have gone crazy and may come to the capital soon."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
